Just a Day Off
by Strelitzia Noir
Summary: It's been five months since he stayed behind in Khura'in, five months she last saw him in person, and five months since their feeling of longing started building up. Still, maybe all they needed was a day off... [Justicykes ft. Klema. Spoilers for SoJ]
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.**

* * *

 **2:00PM**  
 **October 23, 2028**  
 **Themis Legal Academy**

* * *

It's the 68th school festival at the Themis Legal Academy, and unlike in previous years, the academy's hosting its school festival for the entire week. One of the highlights of the school festival was happening today, as the academy is opening a brand new lecture hall named the Constance Hall, in tribute to the late judge course professor Constance Courte, who passed away in the tragedy that happened during the previous year's festival, one that almost ruined the school's reputation. Today, defense attorney Athena Cykes, who played a vital role in finding out the truth behind Prof. Courte's death, as well as well-known Themis alumnus, International Prosecutor Klavier Gavin, have been invited to participate in a mock trial at Constance Hall, to help celebrate the opening of the new facility.

The script of the mock trial, which was unanimously praised among the faculty members, was co-written by judge course senior student and student council president Juniper Woods and Themis judge course alumna Myriam Scuttlebutt prior to her graduation. The mock trial was to be held for a murder case loosely based on the murder case of Drew Misham a couple years ago, a case where Athena's partner, Apollo Justice, acted as defense attorney, and where prosecutor Gavin himself, acted as prosecutor. Most of the faculty who knew the late professor well noted that she highly valued honesty in the courtroom, and because of how both defense and prosecution worked together to discover the truth behind the case, this was one such case that she was fond of discussing to her judge course students prior to her death, which led them to choosing this case as the one to be used on the mock trial.

The mock trial itself went smoothly, with Athena, Klavier, and presiding judge Juniper Woods playing their roles perfectly. Most of the faculty had lauded the mock trial as a very good example, with the defense and prosecution attacking each other's arguments and the judge making sure each and every piece of evidence was viewed objectively in the proper perspective until all sides have reached the same conclusion.

* * *

After the students and faculty have cleared the lecture hall, Klavier and Athena stayed behind for a while. The latter noticed the proud expression in the prosecutor's face as he looked on the bronze statue of the late professor in the middle of the stage.

"She must've set quite the example for you, huh?" said Athena as she walked towards where Klavier was.

Klavier nodded without looking away from the statue "I'm just glad the school paid tribute to her like this, she was a one-of-a-kind professor." then he turned towards the young attorney "You did good back there, Fraulein Cykes, I reckon Herr Wright and Herr Forehead should be worried of getting outdone by you very soon if they're not careful."

Athena couldn't help but feel a little flattered by the prosecutor's praise, Widget also started to turn from his usual blue to a slight pink. "Oh, no, not at all, prosecutor Gavin! It's not like I didn't know at all how the case was going to go, so you're giving me a bit too much credit on that one."

"No, I think I'm giving you enough." Klavier replied "It's not like we had a full script to follow to the letter, there was still some improvisation to be done on the arguments and your abilities were in full display. Not even Herr Forehead sounded that confident during last year's festival, y'know."

Athena gave him a warm smile in response "If you say so, thanks a lot, prosecutor Gavin." she said, Widget turning green further emphasizing her reaction.

"In speaking of Herr Forehead…" Klavier began, but then started to look around the lecture hall as if to see if anyone else was there, and upon confirming that it was still just them in the hall, leaned in towards Athena with his trademark rock star smile and all, "How are things going between you two? Surely it must be difficult to keep things running with you two being so far apart from each other?"

Caught completely off-guard, Athena had pressed her hands against her cheeks, shock written all over her face and Widget quickly turning to a deep pink "Wha…HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!?" Athena and Apollo had only begun dating until early that year, yet through all those months, the pair haven't actually been letting people know about their relationship, least of all their boss, Phoenix Wright, who they think would disapprove solely on the grounds of co-worker relationships.

Klavier, for one, however, seemed to mirror Athena's surprise, and leaned back with a confused expression "Hmm…I thought it was fairly obvious. Even mein liebe seemed to think so, too, especially with that photo of hers showing you two together on the Cosmos Space Center back in Valentine's." Athena's shocked expression deepened and Klavier quickly realized he might have said too much "Don't worry Fraulein, we deleted that photo after we were talking about it, no one else knows about it." Contrary to Apollo and Athena, Klavier and Ema being an item wasn't exactly a secret, given how people easily find out things about Klavier's life, although in the past two years people have learned not to pry in too much as their efforts were always met with either nonchalance from Klavier or a Snackoo to the forehead that would hit as hard as a BB gun courtesy of the forensic investigator.

For a moment, Athena was tempted to ask who else knew about her and Apollo, but quickly discarded the idea and just resigned to a defeated sigh "If I'm honest, it's not exactly going as I hoped it would." she said. "Maybe it's because we've only been in this for five months before the whole thing in Khura'in, so I've been left with a bit of longing…like something was left unfinished."

"I can't say I blame you, although I hope you still keep some form of communication with Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked.

Athena nodded weakly "Of course. We still text and call each other every now and then, but it's never really enough…at least for myself." she then sat down on one of the bleachers in the front row, while Klavier opted to perch himself on top of the defense table "I might have sounded a little selfish there, but, I guess I just couldn't help but feel that way."

Klavier seemed to be in thought for a moment before he spoke "Have you ever tried going over to Khura'in to see him?"

The brunette shook her head "Not yet, but I've always wanted to. It's just that I don't want to leave Mr. Wright alone to deal with all the work, we're already feeling the strain of not having Apollo around, I wouldn't really want to add to that pressure." Athena paused for a bit, a look of hesitation flashed before she went on "That…and I don't want the boss to get suspicious."

Klavier looked surprised "So even Herr Wright doesn't know, eh? I'm guessing Fraulein Trucy doesn't know either?" a slight nod from the young attorney gave him his answer, and after being in thought again for a few moments, Klavier got off the defense table and quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket "I think I know what to do to help you, Fraulein Cykes." he then started scrolling through his contacts and quickly pressed the call button as soon as he found his mark.

 _Oh no…he couldn't be thinking of. NO!_ The prosecutor's grin and undertone of mischief in his voice didn't escape her notice, and she immediately knew what he was up to, but before she could get a word out, she heard ringing tones as Klavier had put his phone down on the defense bench…it was on loudspeaker, deliberately if she was to be asked. "What do you think you're doing!?" she hissed.

"Well, you said didn't want to appear suspicious, so I'm giving you an alibi." Replied the prosecutor, and before Athena could further protest, she was cut off by the voice of the person on the other end of the call.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hello, Herr Wright. It's me." Klavier could only smirk in amusement as the look of shock quickly found its way back to Athena's face at the sound of her boss' voice.

 _"Oh hey, Mr. Gavin. How was the mock trial? Is it over yet?"_ asked Phoenix "Did Athena do well?"

"You should've seen her today, Herr Wright, you'd be very proud. Fraulein Cykes did wonderfully at the trial." Klavier threw a playful wink over at the young brunette, who was shaking her head trying to get him to stop "But..you see, that's also part of the reason why I called you now."

 _"Hmm, what is it, then?"_

 _"I actually have a friend over in Khura'in who needs help with a case, and I thought I'd call Herr Justice about it but apparently, he's amassed quite the backlogs on his cases that he couldn't really take my friend's on such short notice. Your office came to mind next, so I thought- "_

"Let me guess, you wanted Athena to help your friend with this?"

For a moment, Klavier raised an eyebrow in surprise _"Ja. You catch on quick as always, Herr Wright."_

 _"If that's the case, then shouldn't you be talking to her instead of me?"_

Klavier grinned at Athena once more, who simply opted to bury her face on the desk as she had given up trying to get him to stop, shooing him with one hand as if to tell him to just do as he pleases "I would, but seeing as I'm going to have to ask Fraulein Cykes to come with me to Khura'in for this, I thought I'd ask your permission first. It might take us a few days, after all."

Phoenix was silent for a bit, Klavier quietly guessed he was considering his options _"Alright then, I mean, I appreciate you coming to me to ask permission, but the decision's still hers to make. You still have to talk to her about actually taking the case for your friend."_

"I understand. I'll be going then, I still have to go look around the campus to see if she's still around. Goodbye, Herr Wright." After pushing the call end button, Klavier walked over to Athena, who was still slumped on the desk "There. Now you have a reason to come to Khura'in."

 _Argh! What have you done!?_ Athena quickly stood up and slammed her hands on the desk, in the same manner that she usually does in a trial, with Widget red and all "What were you thinking, prosecutor Gavin!? What am I gonna do if the boss finds out I didn't actually take a case!? This isn't something I can get away with without bringing anything back, you know!"

The prosecutor just shrugged in response "What was it you liked to say? Details, details, was it? Just don't worry about it too much, it's not like you'll be going alone."

 _Ugh. Why do I feel like I'm just digging myself deeper…wait, not alone?_ Now Athena was slightly confused "What do you mean I'm not going alone?"

"The idea actually popped into my head the moment you told me you haven't been to Khura'in since the trial back in May." Klavier began "It just so happens that mein liebe is over at Khura'in right now, and I promised her I'd go visit her this week. So basically, I'm tagging you along in my little trip."

 _I wish I can just up and leave the office to go see Apollo whenever I want_ "How are you able to just go out and take leaves like that?"

"I hope you haven't forgotten, I'm an international prosecutor, fraulein, I can fly to other countries anytime under the guise of legal matters." Klavier replied, with a bit of pride, too, as Athena easily noticed "Besides, these days, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth is a lot more occupied shuffling cases among the newer prosecutors than us experienced ones, so there's a lot more free time to find than usual."

 _Right. Prosecutors and their privileges._ Athena fell silent for a moment, as one question lingers in her mind: What next? Klavier had now basically booked her a free flight to Khura'in to go see Apollo, but what then? What is she going to do once she gets there?

"You seem to be lost in thought there, you're not getting too excited, I hope?"

"Maybe. I just don't know what to do when I get there…"

"What kind of question is that?" Klavier was flabbergasted "What else? Go take him on those dates you're been wanting, I'm quite sure Herr Forehead feels the same way."

 _Of course I want to, but I gotta be logical, I have to be considerate, y'know!?_ "But you said it yourself! He's got a ton of backlogs to work on, where am I supposed to fit in all of that?"

"Look, if he wants to, then he'll make it happen." Klavier replied "That's just how we guys do it." Athena fell silent, seemingly pondering on his words "Look, if I were you, I'd be packing my bags 'cause we're leaving tonight."

"WHAT!? So soon!?"

Klavier raised an eyebrow "Would you rather see him sooner or later?"

 _Get yourself together Athena Cykes, you can't pass up on this now!_ "Fine. I'll be ready."

Klavier smiled and started to walk towards the exit of the lecture hall "Well, I think Fraulein Woods should be waiting for us at the quad right about now, I remember her saying after the trial that she wanted to show us around the festival a bit more."

Athena followed him soon after "Oh right, she did, and I promised to go with her too!"


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.**

* * *

 **8:00AM**  
 **October 24, 2028**  
 **Justice Law Offices**

Meanwhile, in Khura'in, Apollo Justice was still busy clearing the case backlog he had amassed during the time he was Khura'in's only defense attorney. Fortunately for him, a couple months after Queen Ga'ran was exposed as a fraud and subsequently dethroned, the remaining defense attorneys of the Defiant Dragons who had been in hiding had returned to reopen their own law offices and offered him help. Some of the attorneys who had previously worked for the Sahdmadhi Law Offices had even offered to join up with Apollo, an offer he graciously accepted. Currently, out of the several hundred cases that was amassed, only 80 cases remained unattended to, thanks to the efforts of the revitalized sector of the defense attorneys.

Today, Apollo had just come off a three-week stint handling five cases back-to-back, and had given himself a little, well-earned vacation for the next three days. He would still be around the office to attend to clients of ongoing cases, but he wouldn't be taking any case himself, instead distributing the work load to his group of five attorneys. Over the past five months since he officially left the Wright Anything Agency, Apollo has learned to sympathize with his former boss Phoenix Wright, as he began to understand how it is to run a law office with fellow attorneys working for you, relating his current experience to what Phoenix had when he was still working under him.

Of course, he had turned to the legendary attorney for advice every now and then, something the latter was more than willing to give for him former protégé. Eventually, the Justice Law Offices started to become the most prominent law firm in the Kingdom, similar to how its predecessor, the Sahdmadhi Law Offices was almost three decades ago. Phoenix, of course, couldn't be any prouder of his former student, further reinforcing his belief that Apollo had matured into his own lawyer, much like how he had progressed ever since his own mentor's passing.

* * *

Apollo, who had just opened the office for business for the day, was sitting in his office, looking through the reports from his attorneys who have finished their current cases until he heard someone knocking on the door. "Come in, we're open." He replied without looking away from the files he had.

The old, wooden door slowly creaked as it was pushed open "You know, you could at least put up an open sign on the door. I never know if you're open yet or not."

Apollo quickly looked up towards the person on the door as he recognized their voice "Good morning, Ema." he said "I'll really try to get that sorted out soon, I'm just afraid the old door might break in half if I even put as much as a single nail into it."

"Then why not get a new one? You guys are raking in a lot of cases, after all, you should at least just freshen the place up." Detective Ema Skye walked up to Apollo's desk and took one of the open seats in front of it "Anyway, that's not why I'm here. I heard you got three days off, I wanted to ask you to hang out." she asked.

Apollo eyed her curiously "What this? You never ask me to hang out before."

"That's because your best friend's keeping me tied up to whatever case you guys are also working on." Ema replied with a pout, obviously referring to Prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi "Now I got the week off and I decided to stay here in Khura'in, I've never really got to explore the Kingdom as a tourist, after all." she said, putting a finger on her chin as she gently swung her upper body left and right, an expression that Apollo couldn't help but be amused at.

"He has it worse than me, working as an active prosecutor at the same time as being the Regent to Princess Rayfa isn't exactly something I'd want on my hands." Apollo replied "But why are you asking me? You should ask someone like Ahlbi if you want someone to show you around the Kingdom."

"Because the people who I'm gonna be meeting with wanted me to tag you along, that's why." Ema replied matter-of-factly "Besides, the last time we hung out was right after Mr. Wright was reinstated by the bar association. Remember?"

Apollo remembered that day two years ago clearly. Trucy had managed to invite Maya, Pearl Ema and Klavier to the Agency to celebrate Phoenix becoming a lawyer once more, just a few months before Phoenix met Athena in Europe and brought her back to the states. "It's been that long already? Makes me wonder what I've been doing with my life until now." He said "Anyway, who are we going to meet with, exactly?" Apollo grew more curious, it wasn't everyday people would want to see him for matters outside of business "

"Guess I'm taking that as a yes that you're coming with me." Ema said gleefully, and quickly pulled her organizer out of a pocket in her lab coat to look through the notes she put in for her week-long vacation "Today's pretty much your day, Apollo Justice, the fop's coming over with a young Themis defense attorney student he met at the school festival yesterday who apparently wanted to interview you badly."

 _A law student coming all the way to Khura'in just to interview me? That doesn't sound right_ "Are you sure you got the right guy to interview?" Apollo couldn't help but ask, he couldn't really believe that someone would actually take the time to do something like that with him, much less fly to another country just to meet with him "Really, the student must've mistaken me for someone else, it's just too much for someone to fly over from America just for an interview."

"Don't start selling yourself short, Apollo." Ema then began rummaging through her bag, pulling out a magazine moments later. "See, look at this!" Ema pointed at an editorial article of an international legal publication. The article, written by a European attorney, was about the progressive changes in the Khura'inese legal system and was highlighting the achievements of one defense attorney named Apollo Justice among many others. "People have started to take notice all over the world, too. Overhauling an entire nation's legal system from what is considered to be its dark age isn't something people just go and do, Apollo. That student is studying to be a defense attorney, and the fact that they're flying all the way here just shows how much of an example you are for all of them."

 _I can't believe it, this is really happening..._ Apollo grew a smile as he read the article, never in his wildest dream did he expect anyone to write an article about him. For him, it was reassuring to see that people outside Khura'in are recognizing their efforts. "It's not just me, though, I wouldn't have been able to do so much if it weren't for everyone who's helped me along the way." he said "Still, we have a ways to go before we can call our mission a success, before we can finally realize Dhurke's dream." _That same dream we all inherited from him..._

Ema couldn't help but flash a smile herself "Which is why you have to give time for yourself sometimes! No one expects you to be able to do all this by yourself, Apollo. The way I see it, getting the attorneys out of hiding and back in business is quite the achievement in itself." Ema then stood up and started heading for the door, puzzling Apollo. When she turned back to him, she gestured with her thumb pointing outside the office "Now come on! The glimmerous fop's flight is arriving in around an hour and we got a pretty good day ahead of us."

Apollo just laughed and put down the files he was holding before following Ema outside the office. "Alright, alright, you got me hooked already." Once he had made sure to close the office up properly, the two went on their way to pick up their guests from the airport using Ema's jeep that had been lent to her by the local police.

* * *

 **9:15AM**  
 **October 24, 2028**  
 **Khura'in Airport Road**

While on their way to the airport, Ema couldn't help but notice Apollo gazing at his phone. She quietly leaned closer to see what it was that had the attorney spacing out, and saw that it was a picture of him and Athena, the latter's arm visibly holding the phone as she planted a kiss on his cheek at the same time.

"Do you miss her?" the detective asked, to which Apollo responded by nearly dropping his phone off the jeep in surprise, and as much she wanted to burst out laughing at his reaction, having to keep her eyes on the road pretty much kept her tame. "Okay, I'll take that as a solid yes, then".

 _How in the world did she know!?_ Once Apollo had gotten a firm grip back on his phone, he looked at Ema with a surprised expression "Did you know all this time?"

Ema rolled her eyes in disbelief "Look, if you two were keeping it a secret, you weren't doing a very good job of doing it. I thought it was obvious from the first time I saw you two at Penrose months ago."

Apollo flushed red, scratching the back of his neck. "Ahaha…well, I thought we were doing a pretty good job hiding it." then a question suddenly popped into his head "Hold on, do you know who else knows about us?"

The detective went in thought for a moment "Hmm...well, obviously there's the fop, oh, and Prosecutor Sahdmadhi, also Princess Rayfa seemed to think so too when she asked me that one time if I've seen Athena."

 _What!? Even the royal family!? Guess we really weren't as inconspicuous as we thought…_ Apollo felt his face flush deeper whenever Ema mentioned a name. "Oh. I honestly thought we were doing pretty well so far."

"Honestly, I don't get it. What's with the hiding thing all about anyway?" Ema asked, as much as she tried to find a reason, she just couldn't think of anything as to why Apollo and Athena would go to lengths to hide their relationship "It's not like anyone's gonna disapprove of it, you two are pretty close, after all."

Apollo shook his head in response "That's just it. We don't know if Mr. Wright is going to approve of it, we are, effectively still co-workers in the Agency." Then he remembered another person he's not really keen on telling "Then there's Prosecutor Blackquill…who knows what he'll do to me once he finds out I've been dating his mentor's daughter, she's like his little sister now!"

"Okay, I get the thing with Prosecutor Blackquill, I've seen him a few times when I go to the prosecutor's office back in the States, and he's not exactly the guy to really tick off." Ema began "…but Mr. Wright? I'm not so sure he's the kind of guy to disapprove of something like that. I mean he's been with you two throughout your careers and if there's anyone I'd expect you two can tell anything to, it'd be him."

The attorney looked down, seemingly at a loss "I don't know. Maybe we just don't want to risk it, we've tried to find ways to open this up to him but we could never really go through with anything."

Ema looked at Apollo worriedly "I don't think I've ever told you this, but back when Klavier and I started dating, I actually didn't want people to find out either." Apollo looked at her in surprised as she continued "…being on the force was one thing, but dating a glimmerous fop of a rock-star prosecutor isn't exactly something you can keep a secret for long. We actually fought over this a few times."

"How did you deal with it, though?" Apollo asked. Over the course of their relationship, Apollo never really had anyone to ask for advice when it came to things like this, and he figured that hearing from Ema and Klavier's experiences might just be something he needed.

"It wasn't easy, I tell you. Can't count the number of times I nearly got attacked by his jealous fangirls! Can you believe it? They would actually dare attack a police detective!" Ema said in amusement "Still, along the way, I realized there wasn't really any good reason to pretend. I wanted privacy, yes, I didn't want all the media attention but in all that, I actually forgot I had him to help me with it along the way. I put it all on myself and forgot to trust him, this was my mistake."

 _Given that I've seen how serious prosecutor Gavin can get, I can just imagine how he'll go out of his way for Ema_ It wasn't for lack of trying that Apollo and Athena haven't got over this very simple hurdle that it almost sounded stupid, but pondering on Ema's words, Apollo felt like he may have caught on to something "I guess you're right. Maybe there's just something we're forgetting, or something we're not looking at the right way."

The detective found herself rolling her eyes once more "Wow. You just sounded like you were talking in court."she said dryly

Apollo was dumbfounded by Ema's comment "Wha-did I, really? Geez, everyone's been telling me the courtroom's rubbing off on me a bit too much."

The brunette couldn't help but laugh in amusement "But seriously, I don't think you have much to worry about, you two actually have it out better than we did." She replied "Looking at it objectively, it's almost funny."

"Pray tell, whatever do you mean?"

"You said you two were worried that Mr. Wright would disapprove simply because you two are co-workers, right?" Apollo nodded and Ema went on, raising a finger to emphasize her point "That's not really the case now that you're here in Khura'in, because as you're all concerned, you're no longer an attorney of the Wright Anything Agency."

 _What?_ Apollo felt his jaw drop, utterly speechless. It was so simple but he never expected it to make so much sense. "But it's not gonna be THAT simple."

"But what if it is? I mean, think about it, if that's the thing that's been holding you guys back for so long, then I think it is that simple." Replied the detective, confidence pretty much evident in her tone "By the way, this is assuming Mr. Wright hasn't pegged you two yet, which…if I'm honest, I highly doubt he hasn't."

He didn't like how it sounded, but he couldn't disagree either, if there's anyone who was so good at figuring out people, it was Phoenix Wright _She's right…maybe Mr. Wright's already figured it out but only hasn't said anything_ "I suppose so…but how are we even supposed to start now that I'm here?"

"You have three days off, right? Why not take one of those days to go back to the States?"

 _What have I got to lose...if Mr. Wright's got us pegged, then we might as well come clean with it_ "You know what? I might just do that."

Ema's phone started ringing and she quickly pulled out a wireless earpiece from her coat pocket, clipping it around and onto her ear as she pressed a tiny button on it. "Skye."

 _"Mein liebe, it's me, how are you?"_ it was Klavier _"Are you driving right now? I hope you're on hands-free"_

"Yes, I am, mein fop." Ema replied "I have Apollo with me to welcome that student friend of yours."

Apollo couldn't help but notice how Ema unusually stressed the word _student_ , but just dismissed it as her teasing Klavier.

 _"Oh yes, of course, she's quite excited to meet Herr Forehead."  
_

"Aren't you being a bit too obvious? This is meant to be a surprise, you know, she's not supposed to know she's meeting Apollo the moment she gets off the plane."

 _She? So the student we're meeting is a girl...I wonder who could it be? Surely none of the Themis girls we met last year, Ms. Woods is a student of the judge course, Ms. Newman's in the prosecutor course, and last I heard of Ms. Scuttlebutt was that she had already graduated..._ Apollo wouldn't admit it, but he was getting somewhat excited in meeting the student who wanted to do an interview with him.

 _"Don't worry, dear fraulein has her earphones on right now, she doesn't even know I'm talking to you."_

"Fair enough. By the looks of it, you've already alighted. We're very near the airport now, so we'll definitely be there once you get off the terminal."

 _"Gotcha, I'll see you then, mein liebe. Pass auf"_

"I will. See ya!" Ema then pulled her earpiece out and tucked it back to her coat pocket, then she glanced over to Apollo "You might've already guessed, but that was Klavier. They just got off the plane but it's still gonna take some time to get off the terminal, so we have enough time."

"I see." Apollo's thoughts still lingered on his mysterious visitor "I wonder what this student's like...do you know her name?"

"Hmm..." Ema quickly took the opportunity to tease the attorney a little bit more "Careful there, I get the feeling the more we get into this line of questioning, the more I might have to report to dear Ms. Cykes about it." she finally said, mischievous smile and all.

Caught completely off-guard, Apollo fell back a bit, and if the jeep didn't have doors, he might've come close to falling out from the side "WHAT!? No! It's not like that! You know what I mean!"

This time, the brunette detective didn't hold her laughter back "Afraid of the judo throw, eh? Athena told me about it once before, and I thought it was pretty funny! Imagine you being the one getting flung into the air this time around."

"Oh shut up." Clearly, Ema was having more than a little fun teasing him, and though he wasn't having any of it, he really doesn't want to even start thinking about what a jealous Athena can do to him.

* * *

 **8:45AM**  
 **October 24, 2028**  
 **Khura'in International Airport**

The pair arrived at the airport, and after parking the jeep just outside the terminal, they headed in to try and find their guests. Around a minute later, they spotted Klavier walking out of the arrival area, behind him was a woman wearing a cream jacket over a yellow dress. The woman had long, flowing brown hair that went all the way down to her waist, a cowlick sticking out from the right side of her head, she was also wearing a peculiar necklace that had a glowing blue smiley face on it, and a single moon shaped earring on her right ear.

Not for the first time today that Apollo had found himself dumbstruck, but there he was again, his eyes cast on the yellow-clad brunette walking towards him and Ema. At first glance, he couldn't recognize her, perhaps because her hair was down, or that she wasn't wearing her trademark fingerless glove, but the sight of Widget and her Moon Rock earring was unmistakable.

 _Oh dear heavens...is this really..._ "Athena?" was all he managed to speak out. He was unsurprisingly awestruck, because despite all the time they went out on dates, he hadn't seen her in anything besides a tee and a pair of jeans, and to be honest, he had never expected the slightly tomboyish Athena to be able to clean up so nicely.

Athena simply offered him a light smile, tilting her head a little as she greeted him "Hello, Mr. Justice. It's nice to see you again."


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.**

* * *

 **9:00AM**  
 **October 24, 2028**  
 **Khura'in International Airport**

* * *

Apollo was, for lack of a better word, downright stunned; seeing Athena in front of him was like a dream. It may have only been five months, but seeing her now made it apparent once more how long it felt for him, for both of them. Her uncharacteristically cordial greeting aside, she was now flashing that silly smile at him, the one thing he grew to instantly associate with her over the past 2 and a half years they've known each other. Yes, it was that same silly smile that he fell in love with.

Ema then snapped him out of his trance "Hey! How long are you going to space out over there, she's already right in front of you, if you haven't noticed already!" It worked, as Apollo looked like he had just quickly snapped from daydreaming straight back to reality, triggering a fit of laughter from Athena and causing him to flush deep red. "It's a bit rude to keep staring at a lady without saying a word, even if she is your girlfriend." she then glanced to the side and noticed Klavier doing just that, complete with a weird grin on his face "What did I just say about staring, you glimmerous fop!?"

"Aha-ha, I see you've become a lot more feisty than I remember, mein liebe." Klavier replied, maintaining the same expression to spite the detective.

Ema, however, wasn't having any of it "Oh, I'll show just how feisty I am." she said in a very annoyed tone as she started pacing towards the prosecutor, who immediately recognize her intentions and starting taking backward steps "Come here you!" she said as she then chased after him, pinching his cheeks and pulling on his drilled hair once she caught up.

Athena, who found herself highly amused by the scene that Ema and Klavier were making, turned her attention back to her boyfriend "You know, I don't remember you being this awkward." she teased, much to Apollo's further embarrassment. "It kinda makes me feel like I've done something weird."

 _Oh drop it, you're doing this on purpose_ "It really is your fault, you know. Dressing up really girly and all..." Apollo replied with a little pout, his cheeks still quite red. "But...I like it, you look really pretty." then he smiled at her, knowing that it would affect her somehow.

True enough, it did.

Athena glanced to the side for a bit, avoiding eye contact _He's doing that smile again...I hate it when he does that when I've got nothing to get him back_ it took a few more moments, but when her gaze found its way back to him, she raised an eyebrow "Are you saying I wasn't pretty before?" her question obviously feigning hurt.

Apollo just slowly shook his head and let out a light chuckle, brushing the untied hair on the side of her face back behind her ear and taking strands of it in one hand "Nope. I just didn't know my girlfriend could get even prettier." he said before once again returning to his favorite smile, a smile of victory once he saw her turning almost as red as he was a few seconds ago. _Ha!_ _Still got it._

Athena just sighed in defeat _That's it...he's got me..._ she slowly raised her arms to take his hands in hers, although as soon as she did, he quickly drew them back, swiftly pulling her into a hug instead, the look of surprise on her face along with her reddening cheeks eliciting giggles from Ema and a few snickers from Klavier, who were standing not too far from them, having finished their little skirmish.

 _Wha-Apollo!?_ It took a few moments for her to realize what he'd done, and when she did, she could only let out a sigh of comfort, slowly closing her eyes as she leaned into the embrace, burying her face on his shoulder as her arms also found their way around his back. _How I've missed this feeling...this warmth..._ she could feel Apollo gently tighten his hold on her, and she responded in kind, the two of them savoring the feeling they've held on to for so long. _It's been a long time, but he still knows how to make me melt..._

The pair held themselves for a few more seconds before Apollo pulled back, albeit hesitantly, still keeping his hands on Athena's shoulders. "I've missed you so much, Tiger." he said, before looking down to see that Widget had turned into a bright pink color "You too, little buddy." he then playfully poked the device, causing it to brighten a bit more.

 _"I've missed you too!"_ the gadget chirped, and the brunette frowned as she looked down her chest "Hey, Widget, zip it! That was supposed to be my line!" An ironic thing in their relationship was that even though they've tried so hard to consciously keep it a secret from other people, Widget was the one thing that made it impossible for things to be hidden between the two of them, as he would always blurt out whatever thoughts Athena was keeping hidden, and he could also easily find whatever emotions that Apollo's trying not to openly show.

Athena looked back up at Apollo, who was still flashing that smile she just couldn't resist "You can't even begin to imagine how much I've missed you, Apollo."

Suddenly, both Klavier and Ema walked up to them "Hate to break up the lovers' reunion, but don't you think we're a bit too exposed here?" asked Klavier. Apparently, the prosecutor had been getting weird looks from some of the people that had walked by them, some of them he could overhear talking mostly about his...unusual hairstyle, which was starting to bother him, as much as he doesn't want to admit.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to mention." Ema began "The fop doesn't really take well to getting weird looks, he's more used to his fans ogling him, rather than getting looked at like some sort of weirdo, which, to be honest, he kinda is." the detective just rolled her eyes at the mock hurt expression Klavier had after her comment.

"You didn't have to be so frank, mein liebe..." Klavier had a frown on his face, although he really was only playing it up to spite Ema "I've had more than enough of the Royal Priestess calling me drill-head the last time I was here with Herr Edgeworth."

"Oh shut up, you should consider that a compliment coming from Princess Rayfa" Ema then turned her attention towards the number of people around them "Anyway, Klavier's got a point, the airport is a bit too crowded, how about we go somewhere a bit more quiet?"

Apollo nodded "I agree, lots of tourists coming in and out of the Kingdom lately, I'm actually surprised we found you as quickly as we did."

Ema scoffed "Not hard to find a tall blonde with pretty weird hair around here." her continued snark finally quelled when Klavier sneakily put a hand on her waist and pulled her close to him.

"I think that's enough about my golden locks, liebeling." said Klavier as he headed for the exit with the detective in tow.

Apollo then took Athena's luggage and gestured her to go on ahead "Ladies first."

However, Athena walked beside Apollo and held his free hand "No, I think I'd rather we go together." she then tilted her head towards her luggage that he was holding "You'll still be the one to pull my stuff though."

 _Why can't I ever be a normal gentleman?_ Apollo rolled his eyes and groaned "Yes, ma'am." he grumbled. Still, it wasn't all that bad, as even though he's tugging a little yellow luggage that really feels heavy for some reason on one hand, he was holding Athena's hand on the other. "Hey, did you pack your entire apartment in here?"

"Who knows? I might've packed for a one-way trip to Justiceland." Athena teased, winking at him as they too made their way out of the crowded airport.

* * *

 **9:30AM  
October 24, 2028  
Khura'in Airport Road**

"So...the whole student interview thing? That was a ruse?" Apollo asked

Klavier and Ema both looked back from the front seats and both nodded in response "Got you good, eh?" asked Klavier. "I hope you weren't disappointed, though to be honest, there were more than a few students who were asking about you when I was at Themis yesterday."

"It was all his idea." Ema added "We had to find some way to get you to the airport without appearing too suspicious."

"As much as I already had some answers prepped in my mind, I'll still glady take this over that." Apollo then turned to Athena, who sat beside him on the back seats "I suppose you knew about it on the way here?"

Athena shook her head "No, not at all. Prosecutor Gavin just called the boss to get me an excuse to come here, I didn't even know you'd be waiting at the airport."

"Surprisingly, getting Herr Wright to let fraulein come with me to Khura'in was easier than expected." Klavier replied "Too easy, if I'm to be honest. I was expecting to get a bit more detailed in explaining my... _case_ "

"I know I told Apollo this earlier, but Mr. Wright might've already figured things out between you two." Ema said to Athena, to which the latter only bit her lip at "I mean, as far as I remember, you two have been directly working together more times than either of you have worked on a case with Mr. Wright, and to me, you two never looked like colleagues as much as you did look like very close friends."

"If that was the case, then why hasn't he talked to me about it yet?" Athena couldn't help but think that it might be true, but considering that, it bothered her how her boss hadn't said a thing. "Surely, there were infinitely many chances granted that we see each other everyday."

"Herr Wright is a smart man, fraulein, and I'm sure he respects your privacies more than anything." said the blonde prosecutor "It's actually not hard to see that you two aren't really open in talking about it with others."

"He's probably just waiting for you to start talking to him about it." began Ema "And contrary to what you two think, I think he would've been the one to talk to you about it if he disapproved."

"I guess we're really gonna have to tell people about us sooner or later, eh?" Athena looked at Apollo, who nodded and flashed another smile at her.

"For some reason, it actually feels comfortable, finally being able to talk about this with other people." Apollo then looked at both Ema and Klavier, both simply smiling in response.

Klavier then put the jeep's FM radio, on full volume. Normally, this would've instantly annoyed Ema, were it not for the fact that Klavier had actually put the radio on a classic radio station, that and the wind noise makes the music sound a bit weaker than it would in a closed vehicle.

Athena was then surprised to hear the several decade-old song playing on the speakers. "I know you love music, but I didn't know you were a fan of music this _ancient_ , prosecutor Gavin." she joked. The song playing on the radio was Easy Lover, a hit track from the mid 1980's, four decades from the present time; and a personal favorite of Klavier's.

Klavier looked back at Athena with a shocked expression "This is called _classic_ music, fraulein, not ancient." he then proceeded to sing along on the next lines _"She's like no other, and I'm just trying to make you see"_ his cool voice was just as it always has been. "You know, we wouldn't be playing the kind of music we play without these people."

 _"You'd better forget it, you'll never get it"_ to everyone's surprise, even Ema started singing along as she drove, grinning as she glanced aside towards Klavier, her voice surprisingly right on tune.

Klavier cocked his head towards her as he took the next line, her doing the same as they exchanged lines.

"She _will play around and leave you, leave you and deceive you"_

 _"Better forget it, ohh you'll regret it!"_

The two were now seemingly absorbed in their own world, singing in a duet, something that astonished both their backseat companions.

"I know Klavier sings a lot, but Ema?" Apollo couldn't help thinking aloud, never did he imagine that he would find himself on a carpool karaoke with the forensic detective and the international prosecutor, despite the latter being a former frontman for his own band. Nevertheless, he found Ema's voice to be really good, a very fitting counterpart to Klavier's.

Athena nodded in agreement "I guess this is their kind of bonding, there's no other emotion but happiness coming from them right now." whatever it was the older couple had, it was contagious, even Widget was turning bright green. "Kinda reminds me of the times at the park we competed to see who can finish the other's ice cream first." those said dates at the park were only one of the few times they were able to be openly expressive in their relationship.

"Uh-huh, pretty fresh in my mind, all the times you cheated by pulling your cone back, I remembered them all." a slow nod and sarcastic tone betrayed his emotions, but he couldn't care less, she would've noticed them anyway. Truth be told, he loved those all those silly moments, and seeing Ema and Klavier now really did remind him of those times. "By the way, how'd you recognize this song?"

The brunette just shrugged "I dunno, really, I just guessed. The music sounded pretty rough compared to songs these days." and indeed it was, in an era of high-definition and crisp-clear music, the songs of the past decades really stood out in terms of sound clarity. "That, and the beat sounded nothing like what the local radio plays back in the States."

"A classic from the early 80's, that song." said Klavier, having just finished singing the rest of the song along with Ema "Pretty good practice song for when I started learning how to play the guitar when I was a kid."

Ema too, had her experience with the song from her youth to share "I remember Detective Marshall playing it a lot on his old record when I often visited my sister at the station back when I was little. In a way, I kinda grew up listening songs that were a few decades older than I."

Athena had another surprised look on her "Early 80's? Wow, that's four decades ago!" having been born in the early 2000's, Athena wasn't exactly familiar with the songs from the previous century, only recently was she able to be familiarized with some of them, often thanks to her boss playing some old collections on their CD player whenever Trucy wasn't around the office.

Right on cue, another song started playing on the radio. This time, though, Apollo was the first to react "This guitar intro, hey Athena, you remember this?"

The brunette listened intently for a few seconds before she too recognized it "Hey, you're right! It's _'What I Like About You'_! The boss likes to sing to this whenever he had a bit too much grape juice!" she had to keep herself from laughing as she said those words. "Our turn?" she asked Apollo, flashing a 'V' sign with her fingers.

"Oh yes, definitely!" Apollo then waited for the intro to end before he chimed in _"What I like about you"_

 _"You hold me tight..mm~"_ Athena continued _,_ and the pair quickly found themselves in the same rhythm as Ema and Klavier were in earlier, exchanging lines in their little duet.

 _"Tell me I'm the only one-"_

 _"Wanna come over tonight, yeah"_

Meanwhile, both Klavier and Ema listened on, both pretty much impressed with what they were hearing.

"I thought Herr Forehead's Chords of Steel was just for being loud in the courtroom, but this is really something." Klavier mused. Surprisingly, Apollo's voice was unexpectedly smooth, far from the rough objections he calls out whenever in court. Actually knowing the song may have helped, but he had to admit, Herr Forehead could sing.

"True. Even Athena's not too bad herself. I remember Mr. Wright telling me she would've volunteered to do a show at the Shipshape Aquarium if only they weren't busy." Ema had seen the Swashbuckler Spectacular with Klavier a few times in LA, and knowing that it was a musical gave her a bit of a hint as to Athena's hidden talent. "Still, who would've thought we'd actually be driving down Khura'in Airport Road doing a carpool karaoke with a jeep?" Ema herself seemed astonished, normally she'd just put on the radio to keep her awake, and having

"Definitely not without those two, that's for sure." replied Klavier.

* * *

 **10:15AM  
October 24, 2028  
Justice Law Office**

Once they got back into the Kingdom, Ema and Klavier dropped Apollo and Athena off at the Justice Law Offices. The prosecutor had offered them to him and Ema for lunch, but the younger couple politely declined, claiming that they wanted to roam Khura'in by themselves for the rest of the day. With that, Ema and Klavier set off on their way.

"Make yourself comfortable, it's just us today at the office, the guys are all off doing stuff." Apollo said as pulled Athena's luggage inside, while the latter set her cream jacket over on the coat hanger and sat down on the couch.

Athena then observed the new look of the Justice Law Office, which, back in the last time she had been here, was still the secret hideout of the Defiant Dragons "You cleaned this place up nicely, Apollo. It looks more like a proper law office than the hideout we've had back then."

"Still a lot to go before it looks anything like the Agency back home though." replied Apollo as he set Athena's luggage by his desk "Though I don't miss the clutter of Trucy's props mixed in with our books and files."

Athena laughed, remembering just cluttered the Agency could get "We can agree on that one. I can remember that one time Trucy made going from our desks to the bathroom into an obstacle course." she then kicked her shoes off and set herself on the entire length of the couch.

"You sure you're fine with staying here? I mean, we can book you a room at the hotel so you'll be more comfortable." Apollo inquired as he observed Athena, who had made herself comfortable laying on the couch, her fatigue easily noticeable. "You look like you could use some sleep right now."

"I came all the way to see you and now you ask me if I wanted to stay in a different place? You just hurt your girlfriend's feelings, Apollo Justice." Athena, of course, was only playing it up dramatically, and she huffed as she quickly turned her back to him "Hey, if you really don't want me around here, then just say it."

"Oh hey! I didn't mean it like that!" _Great..._ Apollo then quickly sat down beside the couch and leaned closer to her, the side of his head touching the top of hers "I'm sorry. I just...you know, didn't want you to stay in a shabby, run-down place when you could be somewhere cool and comfy."

 _"I just want to stay here"_ Widget chirped, and Athena quickly sat up on the couch "Widget! Can't you keep your mouth shut for once!?" she cried out, frustrated as to how her device constantly spoke what was on her mind whenever she was trying to bottle something in. Apollo was about to start laughing until Athena threw him a glare, which promptly and effectively shut him up. Her expression then softened as she placed a hand on Apollo's cheek "Look, Apollo, I understand, I appreciate it, but right now, all I want is this, just being here with you."

"Athena..." Apollo breathed in relief, taking the space on the couch next to Athena, also placing his hand on her cheek, smiling once he felt her leaning her head into his touch "It feels really great to have you here right now, you know that?" he then slowly crossed the gap between them, closing his eyes as he placed a soft kiss on her lips "I love you, Athena Cykes."

"I love you too, Apollo Justice." she then leaned on him, resting her head on his shoulder. She could then feel Apollo put both his hands on her now bare shoulders "You're right though, I'm actually pretty sleepy, yesterday at Themis was pretty hectic and I still had to pack for our flight last night. I could use a little nap."

"I bet you couldn't get some sleep on the plane, either?" Apollo asked, and promptly, he could feel her shaking her head against his chest in response "Then let's stay like this for a while, it's still pretty early for us to go out for lunch, after all." not even a minute later, he looked down to see that she had already fallen asleep, Widget bright blue but with Zs in his eyes, he chuckled a bit and moved his arms around her sleeping figure _Same as always, falling asleep the moment she shuts her eyes  
_

* * *

 **10:50AM  
October 24, 2028  
Justice Law Office  
**

Datz Are'bal and Ahlbi Ur'gaid were walking towards the Justice Law Office to pay Apollo a visit when they noticed that the door was slightly left open.

The former paratrooper and now the acting messenger for the law office headed inside, calling out to Apollo as he went "Hey AJ, the door's peeking a bit, you might want to-oh..." Datz had stopped himself the moment he saw both Apollo and Athena asleep on the couch, the latter holding the latter in his arms as they dozed off. "Guess Lady Justice finally paid good ol' AJ a visit." he said, smiling at the sight.

Ahlbi walked in with Shah'do right on his feet, and he too, was surprised at the sight of the young couple "Is...is that Ms. Cykes?" the young tour guide had been acquainted with Athena during their group's last days in Khura'in, but she looked really different from how he remembered her, being able to recognize only because of Widget around her neck.

"Let's go, Ahlbi." Datz told his young companion as he walked back outside "Looks like AJ's well covered on his day off." once Ahlbi joined him outside the office, he pulled out a hammer and a hook with a screw on the end from his satchel. He gently closed the door shut and started carefully hammering the hook in on the door.

"Hey careful! You'll wake them up!" Ahlbi hissed, trying to stop Datz from potentially waking up Athena and Apollo.

"Don't worry, one hit is all it needs." Datz put the hammer away and twisted the hook in tight on the door until the hook was facing up, he then pulled out a Open/Closed sign from his satchel and hung on it on the hook. "AJ actually asked me to get this for him, but since he's off to dreamland with Lady Justice, I'll just put it here." he said, making sure the 'Closed' part of the sign was up.

The two of them starting walking off from the office when an idea hit Datz "How about we go to the bazaar, Ahlbi?" he asked as he then pulled out a set of firecrackers from his jacket along with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey, please don't set those off in the bazaar! The royal police are going to come down on us!" Ahlbi protested as he quickly followed Datz to try and stop him from enacting another one of his pranks, one that could get both of them in trouble yet again.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.**

* * *

 **1:00PM  
October 24, 2028  
Khura'in Bazaar**

* * *

After their peaceful little nap, Apollo and Athena headed out of the Justice Law Office to tour the Kingdom. Athena, for one, was very keen on finally getting to tour the Kingdom as a tourist, since the last time she had been here, they had been immediately thrust into investigating a murder and subsequently pursued by the Royal Police as suspected allies of the Defiant Dragons rebel group, which, in a way, they actually were.

The pair found themselves on the Khura'in Bazaar, which was now more lively thanks to the Kingdom's steadily improving tourism. Apollo felt really happy about this, of course, as his efforts had positively affected the morale of the locals in some way, but in that very moment, the only thing that Apollo was elated for was the hand of his beloved that he held tightly as they walked along to see what the bazaar had in store.

Apollo, of course, is a sort of local celebrity around the Kingdom, both him and his mentor Phoenix Wright highly recognized for his efforts to bring the truth behind the fraudulent rule of Queen Ga'ran to light. Athena was then amazed at how the people in the bazaar were greeting Apollo, or the _Young Dragon_ as they called him. She could only find herself smiling at how the people regarded him, although that smile then quickly turned to surprise as a few of the store owners gathered around and started carefully putting a festive sash around her, calling it at honor for the _Lady of the Dragon_.

Athena felt overwhelmed at the townspeople's gesture "Wow. This looks amazing, thank you very much, everyone." she said as she bowed in gratitude to the locals before the pair went on their way to see the rest of the bazaar.

"Looks really good on you." said Apollo, looking her over and how the green and red sash complemented her light colored clothes "Usually, the locals adorn the tourists with festive sashes when they pass by here as a sort of greeting, but this is the first time I've seen this many people gather round a particular person."

Athena raised an eyebrow "I think it's pretty easy to see why, Mr. Young Dragon" she said in jest, although deep inside, she is overwhelmed, and at the same time, very proud of Apollo and what he's managed to achieve so far. After all, getting recognition from the people of Khura'in is, in itself, a huge milestone. "I take it the dragon nickname was inherited from Dhurke?" she asked.

"Yep." Apollo said along with a nod "Apparently, back in the day, Queen Amara was also called the Lady of the Dragon besides Her Mercifulness." he then stops and looks at Athena beside him "Guess that makes you my Queen Athena, then?"

Athena flashed a proud grin "Mythological goddess Athena would be more appropriate, but I have to admit, Lady of the Dragon sounds really cool." before she could say anything else, though, both their stomachs started to rumble, the sounds clearly audible. "Umm..." Athena trailed off as both her and Apollo exchanged awkward glances for a few seconds.

Widget then decided to chirp to break the silence " _The goddess is_ _hungry! Feed your lady!"_ Widget's rather appropriately timed outburst caused the two to break out into sheepish laughter, realizing that neither of them had eaten anything since the day began. "Well, you heard the little man, where we going next?" asked the brunette.

"Just a little place I go to quite often." replied Apollo, leading her along as they walked away from the bazaar. "I think you'll love it there."

Athena bobbed her head as they walked "Coming from you, I'm already excited." remembering the times when they went out for lunch or dinner back in the States, it was never really difficult to find and agree at a place to eat, given that they have almost identical taste when it comes to food.

* * *

 **1:15PM  
October 24, 2028  
Khuuhk's Diner**

* * *

A few minutes later, the two arrived at a place called Khuuhk's Diner. The place was quite spacious, occupying the entire first floor of an apartment building, although from the outside, it resembled a European cafe more than a diner, something Athena took note of. When the two stepped inside, Apollo looked around and found the owner by the bar "Heya Khuuhk!" he called out as he and Athena took the two bar stools near where the owner was standing.

The owner, a tall, bald man in his mid-40's, looked very pleased as he saw Apollo walk in "Hey 'Pollo! Comin' for a bite again today, son?" he then turned his attention to the long-haired brunette with him "And who might this charming young lady be?" he asked, eyeing both of them curiously.

Apollo smiled as stepped aside to give him a better view of Athena "Right, let me introduce you two. Khuuhk, this is Athena Cykes, my girlfriend and fellow attorney back in America."

Khuuhk had a look of astonishment as he bowed in greeting Athena "Hap'piraki, Lady of the Dragon. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Athena, again was surprised at the courtesy she received from the elder man "Oh no, please, Athena's just fine." she said, a little embarassed at how cordial the locals that she's met have been towards her. She then noticed Apollo giving her a suspicious look "What?" she asked flatly.

Apollo couldn't help but chuckle a bit "What happened to 'the Lady of the Dragon' sounds really cool' bit earlier?"

Athena had a little frown as she put her hands on her hips "You know, as much as it sounds nice when you think about it, it's actually a bit weird if you actually get called that every now and then."

"Now you know what I feel." Apollo said as he shrugged "Anyway, Khuuhk here really serves up some great dishes, I actually go to eat here everyday as long as I'm not too busy."

"Been running the Kingdom's finest diner since the first reign of Her Mercifulness." The old man had a proud look on his face as he spoke "Pollo here's actually told me a lot about you ever since he began taking over his old man's law office, but I'm surprised to actually see you in person so soon."

"Oh, I see he's been telling stories." began Athena, who, for a moment, glared at Apollo, a gesture he clearly understood as he raised his hands in defense. "I just happened to take a little break from work right now to see him, can't really tell if he's fooling around when I'm not looking." and to go along with her sarcastic tone, she now throws Apollo a playful glare, to which he only rolled his eyes at.

"I wouldn't really call it that, especially when he always a law book or two on his hands every time I see him." replied Khuuhk "This might be the first time in a while I've seen him holding something else when he comes in here, and the first time I've seen him looking fresh rather than exhausted." the old owner was of course, referring to Athena, which made Apollo turn a little pink on the cheeks. "I take it you'll get the usual, Pollo?" the young attorney nodded "Then how about you recommend something good for the young lady here?"

"Shouldn't you be the one doing that, Khuuhk?" Apollo asked

"Normally, yes, but seeing as you have a better idea of what she wants, I think it's better for you to pick something out for her." said the old man "Besides, I might take a long time to talk about every single dish I have, and you two don't look like you'd be up for that right now."

Athena, having mulled over the menu a few moments ago, spoke up "I'll just have what he's having." Getting what the other's getting was sort of a habit between Apollo and Athena, mostly because the other was too lazy to try and pick their own meal out. "I trust they're good, yeah?" she asked, looking at Apollo beside her.

Apollo returned a confident look at Athena "Hey if I like it, you definitely will." he then looked back at the diner's owner "We'll get two specials then."

"Got it, two specials comin' right up!" Khuuhk then made his way into the kitchen to prepare their dishes.

Athena looked around the diner, trying to take in the diner's atmosphere. The ornaments were typical of that of an East Asian country, similar to how the bazaar was set up, but the bar counter, the stools they were sitting on and the cushioned seats on the tables by the window reminded her a lot of diners back in the States. She couldn't help but wonder how a native Khura'inese knew how to build a diner, a kind of restaurant commonly found in the West. Then there's how the place looked from the outside, which reminded her of the cafes she frequented during the time she was studying in Europe.

"Liking the place?" Apollo asked, having been watching her look around and seemingly in awe of the surroundings.

"Yeah, but I wonder how there's a diner in Khura'in in the first place." she replied "I know it's pretty common these days back home, but Khura'in being such immersed in its own culture really makes me wonder how a native Khura'inese had the idea of building one up in the first place. I thought it looked like a French cafe when we were outside" Apollo then pointed towards the little wooden bookshelf in the corner of the diner, and when Athena walked to get a closer look, she saw that there were several foreign law books among others. "Are these-?"

Apollo nodded "Yep, it's actually a pretty big reason why I come here everyday, besides the good food." he then looked up at a picture hung above the kitchen window within the bar counter. It was a picture of Khuuhk and Dhurke in their youth "Khuuhk is a former attorney, you see, and he was Dhurke's bestfriend. He traveled a lot to America and Europe to study their legal practices."

"Wow, so Khuuhk used to study foreign law?" said Athena as she sat back down beside Apollo "Kinda reminds you of Mr. Wright, eh?"

"It does. Just like the boss, both Khuuhk and Dhurke were so interested in studying the legal systems in America and Europe, because they wanted to build upon something when the time came to influence change in Khura'in's legal system." Apollo then returned his glance towards the bookshelf "I like reading some of those books myself. It's not easy to adapt everything I know about our legal system to the one Khura'in has, because not everything fits the bill." he then noticed Athena staring at him in amazement, causing him to feel a little embarrassed "What is it? Did I say something funny just now?"

"No, not at all." Athena shook her head while holding her gaze "I just can't believe it even now, what you're actually trying to do. You know I've always looked up to you as a senior attorney, but you just blew all our minds away with what you intend to do here." she then reached a hand up to his cheek and started pinching, Apollo quickly crying out in pain. "Apollo, please wake me up if I'm dreaming."

"What the hell!? You're supposed to do that to yourself, not to me!" Apollo felt a few tears forming in his eyes as he winced and cried in pain "Hey! Hey! Cut it out, Athena! You're pulling too hard!" as much as he could withstand pain, the hands of his girlfriend, who also happened to be skilled in martial arts, had a bit more strength compared to others.

"Oops, my bad." The brunette laughed and propped her arm up on the counter, resting her chin on her hand "Hey, I mean it though, back when we were working together, you were always the type to hit the books the moment we get back to the office. Nowadays, you're hitting the books for an entire country's legal system!" she cheerfully said "You know, you should hear the boss rave about you to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth and his other friends!"

 _Mr. Wright...did what?_ "Are you sure? I don't think the boss would be the type to do something like that, y'know..." Apollo trailed off, unable to comprehend the image of Phoenix Wright speaking well of him to others.

Athena was now growing irritated at how Apollo was undermining himself "Are you kidding me? Have you even forgotten how proud he was of you when we left five months ago?" she cried out "He's very proud of you, Apollo. We all are, and I can't even begin to describe how proud of you I am, myself..." Apollo then felt Athena place her hand over his "Obviously, it's a long road, but I just want you to know we're here for you. I tell you this everytime we talk over the phone, but I won't get tired of saying this again and again."

Apollo held her hand tighter "I know. It actually keeps me going everytime I feel like I'm lost, because unlike back then, I don't have you or Mr. Wright to turn to for help." he then looked down at their hands "In speaking of Mr. Wright...I've been thinking." he felt Athena tighten her own grip on his hand

"Should we finally tell him? And everyone?" Athena had already sensed what he wanted to say, and her thoughts carried her back to their earlier conversations with the detective and the prosecutor "I think Ema and Klavier are right, Apollo, we might be trying to keep hiding what's already an open secret."

Apollo nodded, it was hard to deny that they had a good point "I have to be honest, there were times I wanted to just call the office, look for you, and just tell you I love you, and I wouldn't care any less if it was on speakerphone." he then pulled out his phone and showed it to her, their picture displayed as his wallpaper "You remember this?"

Athena smiled "Yeah, of course. It was our last date before the Khura'in incident." she said with a hint of bitterness, it was the last date they had before they were separated "I'm surprised you used that one as your wallpaper." she then pulled out her phone and showed it to him with a big grin. Like him, she also had their picture as her wallpaper, but a different one compared to the one he used, as Apollo was the one kissing Athena on the cheek, the latter with a silly smile while winking at the camera. "I think this one's a lot cuter!"

"It definitely is." Apollo had a very warm smile as he put both of their phones beside each other on the counter "I can't ever remember us talking about using the same wallpapers now, did we ever?" he asked, quite amused at how they both had the same idea of having their pictures being the first things they see whenever they use their phones.

"No, but you gotta admit, it's kind of romantic." Athena then pointed at her phone "I put this in from when we got back from the trip five months ago, and believe me, it was really difficult to use this around the office."

"I don't remember exactly when I set mine, but it was definitely before Dhurke came into the office, I'd put it sometime soon after that date." Apollo then realized something about what she just said _She had it on all this time in the office? How in the world..._ "How did you manage to keep that from Trucy?" he asked, keeping in mind that Trucy also has the same ability to detect nervous tells, which even until now, he couldn't comprehend how they both had.

"I keep it hidden in the desk drawer." she replied "As long as Trucy doesn't see it, she really wouldn't bother asking about it. Besides, Trucy's been busy herself since she got her show running again over at Penrose." she added, the last statement having a little bit of fear in it, as with Apollo gone, the task of being Trucy's occasional 'magical assistant', or _guinea-pig_ as both Apollo and Athena liked to call it, fell solely on her.

"So does that mean you get to be a regular assistant during the shows now?" Apollo asked worriedly, having experienced being Trucy's assistant for some of her magic tricks, he couldn't exactly call it a pleasant experience.

"Thankfully, only twice." Athena still felt a bit of dread recalling those times "The boss was actually bailing me out of it by giving me work to do."

Apollo then started to wonder "You think Truce will be alright with this?" he asked. Over the few years that they've been together at the Agency, the young, childlike Trucy Wright had become sort of a younger sibling for Apollo, and even for Athena, who is only a couple years older than her. "

"I don't think we're gonna have a problem with that." Athena replied confidently "Now that I think about it, I won't be surprised if she's already figured us out. You never really know what that girl's thinking." Sharp as her father, both of them knew that behind all the cheerful smile and childish antics befitting of a youthful entertainer, lies a girl that can quickly put two and two together without even saying a word.

Apollo nodded "I guess you're right." a moment later, Khuuhk finally came out of the kitchen, holding two bowls of what appeared to be Chinese fried rice topped with special Khura'inese dumplings, placing the bowls on their places on the bar counter.

"Here you go, two orders of Khuuhk's diner's famous special." Khuuhk said proudly as he set the bowls down "Also a personal favorite of young Pollo here, so I hope you enjoy it."

"These look delicious! Thanks Khuuhk!" gleefully said Athena, feeling her growing appetite "Bon appetit, I'm famished!" she then looked at Apollo, throwing a light jab on his arm "I guess your treat's worth the wait after all, Apollo."

Apollo blinked for a moment, then looked shocked once he realized what Athena just said "Wait, what!? Hey, I didn't say anything like that!" he cried out. He turned to Khuuhk but only saw the former attorney shaking his head in disappointment. "It's true!"

"You mean to tell me that you're not even going to treat your girlfriend to lunch, Apollo? After she flew all the way here to see you!?" Khuuhk asked sternly, looking intensely at an agape Apollo "You disappoint me. I can imagine Dhurke turning in his grave if he finds out about this."

Apollo, flustered and a little embarrassed, wanted to protest, but when he turned to Athena, she had turned her head away from him and was trembling a bit from trying so hard to stifle her laugh, and when he turned to Khuuhk, he had turned his back on him doing the same thing as Athena "Stop trying to hide it! You-you're just going along with it, Khuuhk! I object to this!" he cried out, prompting laughter from all three.

* * *

 **5:00PM  
October 24, 2028  
Justice Law Office**

* * *

Apollo and Athena went back to the Justice Law Office after they've spent almost the entire afternoon hanging out at Khuuhk's diner, sharing stories with the former attorney and hearing many tales from his younger days with Dhurke, as well as a few embarrassing tales from Apollo's youth, much to the latter's dismay. In some way, both the younger attorneys found another person that they could open up to, and being such a good listener, Khuuhk had a few of his own advices to glady give.

The two of them were once again sat on the couch, browsing through some pictures of them together on Athena's phone, her leaning against his shoulder as she had both of her legs stretched across the couch. They then come across of pictures of them with their friends, pictures of them with Phoenix and Trucy. Every single case they've worked together had at least one picture of them to serve as a reminder of the experience.

" _As long as we're both happy, then it's their problem if they can't accept it_ , eh?" Athena echoed one of Khuuhk's several advices "You know, I'm starting to wonder why we even bothered being concerned about what other people think of...us." she said.

"Maybe it's because before there was just the two of us, we had all of us." replied Apollo "I kind of feel bad about it, right now. It feels like we've shut them all out without them even knowing."

Athena nodded against his arm "Little by little, we were probably doing the thing we were avoiding the most."

Apollo then placed his hand on her head, leaning his head against it at the same time "We thought trying to keep things a secret would help keep things well with our friends, but...we were actually already breaking it up by not opening up to them."

"We're really a couple of silly idiots, aren't we?" asked Athena, referring to what Khuuhk had actually called them earlier after they told him of their situation "Boy, am I sure glad you brought us over to Khuuhk's place today, you get Oriental food for the body with a little Chicken Soup for the soul on the side."

"That's just how Khuuhk's been for me for all I remember." replied Apollo "He actually managed to get me to fess up about us a few months back, at a time when I was really bothered about not seeing you. The times I badly missed having you around."

"At least it's done good for us." she began "But...in speaking of which, how are we actually going to tell our friends, and who do we talk to first?"

"That's easy." Apollo then slowly stood up from his seat " _We_ start with the boss, and we could start sooner than later."

"Wait, you're coming with me?" Athena couldn't help but notice how he stressed the word we, and just couldn't help but ask if he meant what she thought he did.

"Yes, I'm coming back with you, Thena, we have to do this together." a thick layer of conviction in Apollo's voice is all that Athena needed to hear.

"Alright, I'd like that." she then stood up as well and took his hands in hers as she stood in front of him "Though if it's not too much, I have something to ask of you."

Apollo raised an eyebrow "Anything, just tell me."

"Klavier actually told Mr. Wright that I'll be gone for a few days, so I'd like to enjoy my little vacation a bit more." she began "Would you show me around more tomorrow?"

Thinking for a moment, Apollo held her hands tighter "I guess I can use a couple more days off from work."


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.**

* * *

 **10:00AM  
October 27, 2028  
Wright Anything Agency**

* * *

After she had spent the past couple of days reunited with her boyfriend, Athena decided to head back to America, three days after Klavier had taken her along to the Kingdom of Khura'in, but this time, Apollo had also come along for the return trip. The pair had planned on finally coming clean about their relationship with their friends, having realized that the people closest to them deserved to know, for these people had also played a part in how Athena and Apollo had come to where they were. Apollo thought appropriate for him to come along, wanting to break the news together with his girlfriend.

Apollo had only intended to stay for one day, returning to the Kingdom on the next day, so they spent most of the flight planning who they were going to see once they landed. They decided that their first destination was to be, of course, the Wright Anything Agency, the place where they had the most explaining to do. Klavier, after all, had used taking a case in Khura'in as a cover story to get Phoenix to give permission for her to be away from the office for a few days.

Having dropped their luggages off in Athena's apartment, the two headed to the Agency, both clad in their usual work clothes but Athena still letting her hair down like she did when they were in Khura'in, something Apollo found to be liking very much. The two finally stood by the door to the office, where they could hear Trucy practicing some magic show routines from inside. Nervous, and unsure of who would knock on the door, the two exchanged glances in the awkward silence.

"You do it?" Apollo asked, gesturing towards the door.

Athena, though, was equally nervous "Why me? You do it!" she hissed.

Apollo then stepped closer to the door and took a couple deep breaths before bringing his hand up to knock at the door.

 _*knock* *knock*_

The few seconds before the door opened with a creak felt exponentially longer for the pair, but when it did, they were greeted by the sight of a very surprised Trucy. The young magician stood there agape, staring at both Apollo and Athena, more so at the former.

Apollo then decided to break the awkward silence "Heya, Trucy." he said with a little wave of his hand

"Polly?" Trucy trailed off, leaning closer to him as if to see if he was real in front of her "Polly!" she leapt at him to give him a big hug, catching him by surprise as they fall on the ground "I've missed you so much!" the young magician then looked behind her into the office "Daddy! Come here! Polly's back! Athena and Apollo are here!" she cried out.

Shortly, Phoenix Wright came out from inside the office, stopping for a moment as he saw both his apprentices by the door. He smiled as he watched Apollo stood up after Trucy got off him. "Welcome back, you two." he then gestured towards inside the office "Come on in."

Apollo and Athena sat on the long couch, Trucy sitting on the edge of it while Phoenix sat back on his chair behind his desk. "I've heard a lot of good things, Apollo, you're doing real great finally running your own law office." Phoenix began "I'm very proud of you."

Apollo was surprised at the sudden compliment that his mentor and former boss had given him "Thank you, Mr. Wright, can't say I've been able to do any of this if it weren't for you." it was something Apollo would always say and mean, he looked up to Phoenix Wright throughout his whole career, and he always felt that he owed his growth as a lawyer to him.

"All I've done is tell you a few words every now and then, Apollo, you did all the growing up on your own." said Phoenix "Besides, you need to keep that momentum up, now that you've got other people looking up to you." Phoenix was of course, referring to the younger attorney sitting beside Apollo. Ever since he had taken in Athena after she had finished her studies in Europe, he made it a point to get both of his apprentices working together, thrusting Apollo into a senior role, allowing him to mature.

"I thought Polly was never going to come back, now being such a bigshot in Khura'in, after all." Trucy pouted, making everyone chuckle "But seriously, I've missed having you around, Polly, the people at the theater have been missing my most hysterical magical assistant." she said, then standing up and put a hand behind her back, making her wooden puppet Mr. Hat appear out of nowhere in a few seconds "That screaming, two-horned guy with the big forehead? Yeah, I miss havin' him around!" said the puppet.

Apollo wanted to take exception to Mr. Hat's description of him, but decided to let it pass for now "Sorry Trucy, I'm not really staying for long. I just came back to talk with you guys about something." he said.

Athena looked at Phoenix with a serious expression "Boss...Apollo and I, wanted to talk to you about something." Phoenix, however, didn't look bothered, which raised a few suspicions from both her and Apollo.

Phoenix sighed before speaking "Right before you two arrived, I was on the phone with Ema and Klavier, telling me how the trip was a set up..." he began, and the manner at how both the younger attorneys' eyes widened at the same time amused him a bit "...and to be honest, I've known how things were for quite a while, but I thought I'd rather hear it from the two of you instead."

 _Oh gods...they were right..._ Athena then felt a lump in her throat as their suspicions were confirmed, that Phoenix Wright knew it all along. She couldn't find it in her to start until she felt Apollo holding her hand, she then gave him a nod and a warm smile before she looked back to Phoenix "Boss...Apollo and I, we're in a relationship and uh, we have been for a while now."

Trucy let out an audible gasp, shock written all over her face, shock that then gradually turned into a wide smile, puzzling both Athena and Apollo "Wow! Finally! It's so nice to hear that you're together!" she said before turning to her father "Isn't that right, daddy?" Apollo and Athena both now had the shocked expression that was once Trucy's moments ago.

Phoenix nodded and a smile slowly crept on his lips "It is, although I am quite surprised at the way you haven't told us this at all before." he said. "How long have you two been together?"

"10 months..." Apollo trailed off, still unable to find the words to respond "We thought you would disapprove, Mr. Wright, given that both Athena and I are co-workers and all." Athena nodded along.

"While it's true that personal relationships between co-workers are normally looked down on, I don't think I can even find something to disapprove of in this case." Phoenix said in disbelief "You two have such a great dynamic working together, and to top it all off, you're very close friends, which makes it easier for both of you to work together in the first place."

Hearing Phoenix's words, Athena felt like a huge load was taken off of her, like she was finally able to let go of something she'd been holding in for quite a while "I don't know, boss, we thought it would appear like a distraction for both of us, this relationship of ours..."

Phoenix put a hand on his chin "You know, when you put it that way, I don't think it would've made a difference." he began "Your relationship becoming a distraction is something only you two can control, and if it was, then it still would've been one, whether or not you've told me about it."

Apollo and Athena fell silent. They were both feeling relieved beyond anything, but at the same time, they were so overwhelmed that they didn't know what to say next. Yeah, they've finally come clean, but the reception was far from anything that they had ever expected it to be. Trucy then took this moment to poke a little fun in teasing the pair.

"Daddy, I think you forgot to mention that they were already quite obvious." the young magician teased, causing both of them to blush. "Like, way obvious even before we left Polly in Khura'in."

 _Way to hammer the point home, Trucy._ Athena couldn't help but remember how both Ema and Klavier said the same thing, and it honestly annoyed her a bit.

"Trucy was always saying that best friends don't tease each other as much as you two do." said Phoenix "She was actually pretty adamant that you two were actually dating behind our backs, guess she was right, after all." he then looked towards his daughter, who tipped her magician's hat while sticking her tongue out.

"Boss...Trucy..." Athena began, sounding a bit uneasy "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about this a lot earlier." she said.

Apollo followed "There were times we really wanted to, but I guess our fears always got the better of us."

Phoenix nodded, acknowledging the pair's apologies "I appreciate your consideration, but I don't think anyone would have a problem with it, least of all Trucy and I." he said "Yes, we're co-workers, but beyond that, we are all friends, and as both your boss and your friend, I want you to know that we're happy for you." his eyes then focused on his daughter, who was still on the edge of the sofa beside Athena and Apollo "Ain't that right, Trucy?"

"Yep!" the girl cheerfully said, then standing up to move in front of Phoenix's desk "Now that Polly and Athena are here, you can pay up on that little bet by treating us to lunch!"

Phoenix's expression, which had been serene up until this point, quickly turned to one of utter fear. "W-what!? Right now!?" he cried out.

Apollo and Athena exchanged confused glances, something Trucy noticed as he looked towards Athena "You see, ever since you left three days ago, daddy and I were betting on Polly coming with you when you came back here. He bet on Polly not coming with you, so obviously, he lost, and our wager was treating the loser out for lunch."

Phoenix had the jaw-dropped expression he frequently displayed in court as he looked in his wallet, but looking at his daughter and his two young apprentices laughing with glee, he couldn't help but share the warm mood. He knew that this was something that had bothered Apollo and Athena for a long time, and finally having them know about it, he felt like the pair could finally move forward.

"Right. What do you guys say we go out for lunch? It's been a while since we went out with Apollo around."

"This is your treat, right Daddy?"

"Of course. With or without the bet."

* * *

 **2:00PM  
October 27, 2028  
Blackquill Residence  
**

* * *

After having lunch with Phoenix and Trucy, Apollo and Athena decided to pay a visit to Simon Blackquill, although the latter was initally hesitant out of fear of meeting his end either by the prosecutor just cutting him down right then and there, or by having Taka, Simon's pet hawk, claw his head out; Athena still managed to convince him to come along.

Simon lived in a medium-sized house not too far from the Cosmos Space Center, a house he once shared with his sister, Aura, who was still serving time in prison for the hostage taking incident the year before. It took a little therapy session from Athena to calm Apollo down again once they've finally reached the front door, but once he was okay, the pair was greeted by the prosecutor, who was surprised to see Apollo. Taka, meanwhile, greeted his old friend Apollo by flying around his head, immediately spooking the attorney.

The atmosphere was tense when Athena finally decided to tell Simon about her and Apollo's relationship and how they've tried to keep it hush from their friends. Apollo, meanwhile, was rendered speechless by the sight of the hawk staring at him from the prosecutor's shoulder like he was prey, and in the awkward silence that followed, he felt like he was shortly going to become one.

"Justice-dono..." Simon spoke up, instantly getting Apollo's attention, the attorney unconsciously trying to perceive any movement from his shoulder that would send Taka straight towards him "...I highly respect you and all, but forgive me for asking, just what in the world possessed you to even get the idea of dating this spring chick of an attorney!?" he asked, laughing hysterically as he spoke, Taka barely managing to stay perched on his shoulder.

Athena clearly wasn't even remotely amused, as she stood up, glaring menacingly at the laughing Simon, Widget colored bright red with an angry face "Just what the hell do you mean by that, Simon!?" her frustration only grew as Simon stopped to look at her, turned his back to them and started stifling his laughter, his shuddering shoulders giving it away "Simon!" she cried out.

This time, the prosecutor calmed down, sitting on the sofa in front of the one they were sitting on "My apologies. I jest, but I just can't believe you two came all the way here just to tell me this, especially you, Justice-dono, I know you've been very busy in the Kingdom of Khura'in lately, so it really was a surprise to see you here today."

"Well, Athena was actually with me in Khura'in since three days ago, and we decided that to finally tell everyone." said Apollo

"That's why we're here, Simon." added Athena, who was still a bit grumpy over Simon making fun of her yet again, however the next words he said caught her off-guard.

"I appreciate you coming all the way to let me know." Simon then smiled, which surprised both Athena and Apollo, as it was a genuine smile, nothing like the sarcastic smirks they got used to seeing from him in court "I'm sure Dr. Cykes would be happy to know that her daughter ended up with someone like you, Justice-dono, as am I, a lesser man would've tasted my blade and be feasted on by Taka by now."

Apollo was glad to know that he had Simon Blackquill's approval, because as intimidating as his presence was in court, he was doubly so whenever it concerned Athena, as the prosecutor had grown to treat Athena like a younger sister. If there was another person besides Phoenix Wright that he could count on to watch over Athena, Apollo knew it was Simon Blackquill.

"However..." Simon began in a serious tone "...if in any way, you make this spring chick cry, my blade will be the next and the last thing you'll ever feel."

This time, Apollo felt a lot more confident "I know, and I won't, I promise."

"Good." the prosecutor replied, contented with Apollo's answer.

"You know, Simon, you should really stop treating me like a kid now..." Athena said, a bit flustered at how Simon was being protective of her "I don't think my brother would even go that far if I ever had one." she muttered

"You're still just a kid, Athena, but at least now I know there's someone else looking out for you." Simon nodded towards Apollo, who just smiled in response.

* * *

 **2:30PM  
October 27, 2028  
Gourd Lake Nature Park  
**

* * *

After the two had finished with Simon, they walked towards Gourd Lake, planning to take a little break before they move on to seeing their other friends. While there, Apollo bought an orange-flavored twin popsicles for both of them. The two sat on a bench just under the shade of the tall trees of the park, the view overlooking the lake, when Athena starting bringing up one time that they had gone to the lake.

"Hey Pollo, remember when we took a swan boat out here once?" she asked, taking a bite of her half of the popsicle

Apollo nodded "Yeah, at first I didn't know what got into you, wanting to take a swan boat out in the lake at night."

The brunette laughed as she remembered a particular detail "The boatkeeper was giving us weird looks when we asked if we could rent in the evening." she then pointed at the horizon on the far end of the lake "What he didn't know was because the city had started clearing the forest on that side, the view was unbelievable."

"Never knew the moon looked so bright in an open sky until that night." said Apollo, looking up at the clear, blue sky "Hard to forget, that one." he then started to blush a bit, much to Athena's amusement.

"Still, the most memorable bit of that night was when finally I kissed a certain fellow." she said, the same blush tinting her cheeks

Apollo rolled his eyes "You are the most hopelessly romantic person I've ever known." he said, then leaning in closer to Athena to give her a kiss on the cheek "Still pretty cute, though."

"And you are the most adorable dork I've ever known." Athena then returned the favor by giving Apollo a quick peck on the cheek, along with swiftly stealing his half of the twin popsicle and putting it in her mouth. "Still pretty slow, though."

Apollo quickly reached out to try and get his half back, but Athena was just a little too quick for him "Hey! That's cheating!"

"Gotta think and react fast, Apollo." Athena chimed as she finished Apollo's popsicle, she then looked to see that he was glaring at her "Oh...was that too much?"

Apollo didn't say anything, nor did he stop glaring at her, and when Athena became a little worried and started to reach a hand to his face, he quickly flashed a naughty grin before grabbing the hand she had reached out and quickly pulling her close, meeting her with a sudden kiss. He could feel Athena stiffen against him for a moment before she returned the kiss.

As they pulled away, the two stared at each other for a moment before they both broke out laughing loudly, startling a few of the people that were with them in the park. Apollo then pulled Athena into his arms, holding her as they both looked back towards the lake.

"You know, Tiger, I feel like I'm gonna miss this a lot more." he said "I'm afraid I'm gonna be looking for you every time I wake up."

Athena, leaning on Apollo's shoulder, looked up at him "Then let's make a deal."

Apollo raised his eyebrows "What do you have in mind?"

"Either you come home for Christmas, or I go over to Khura'in to celebrate it with you." she said, poking at his cheek. "How's that sound?"

Apollo smiled and nodded "Good plan." he then leaned his head towards her, catching the familiar scent of her perfume as he did "Hey, Thena, since I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, why don't we come back here tonight?"

"After we meet with Junie and the rest of our friends?" Athena looked up at him curiously "Sure thing, but why exactly?"

"Let's just say I want to relive that swan boat ride one more time." Apollo said, smiling as he looked down at her "Besides, I heard we're getting a full moon tonight."


End file.
